HR consulting for FMCG companies and the consumer brands that move fastest
Your sales managers lead teams spread across territories. Meanwhile, your regional leaders have weeks, not quarters, to turn plans into shelf share, and your plants and offices need people policies that work for both. That is why Seven People Systems offers HR consulting for FMCG companies. In short, you get leaders who execute at the speed of the market.
For example, we have worked with Hindustan Unilever across South Asia for years. In addition, we have worked with Henkel, General Mills, LEGO, Shoppers Stop, Unicharm, Triumph and Wacoal.
What FMCG leadership development has to solve
Consumer businesses win on distribution, execution and speed. Therefore leadership development for FMCG teams has to be built for the market, not the classroom.
Managers leading teams they rarely see
Area and territory managers lead sales officers and distributor teams spread across hundreds of kilometres. As a result, they coach mostly in the market.
Plans that must land in weeks
Regional leaders turn national plans into local action fast. Therefore execution, review and course correction decide the quarter.
Teams under constant change
New channels, acquisitions, portfolio shifts and peak seasons arrive together. Consequently, trust and alignment are tested in every team at once.
Plants and offices under one roof
Manufacturing and management staff need people policies that are fair to both. In addition, they need managers who apply them consistently.
Consumer sector training programmes, from the front line to the top team
In general, most of our consumer sector training and consulting falls into four areas. In each case, the work draws on a Seven practice you can explore in more depth.
Leadership development at scale
Programmes for mid to senior leaders run in cohorts across regions and functions. Above all, they align to your own leadership standards.
Leadership development →Sales and commercial capability
Sales and customer marketing teams build negotiation, influencing and analytical skills. In particular, the work is grounded in DISC behavioural profiles.
DISC Assessment →Team diagnostics and offsites
First, we measure trust, communication and alignment before we intervene. Then offsites turn the findings into a team charter.
Team Confidence Quotient (TCQ™) →HR policies and people systems
People policies for plants and offices are written to work for blue-collar and white-collar employees. As a result, managers can apply them consistently.
People OS™ →Equally important is building HR's own capability: train-the-trainer, DISC certification, business partnering and behavioural interviewing.
Coaching Skills for Managers →How we have worked with FMCG and consumer teams
Here are a few examples of the work behind our HR consulting for FMCG companies and consumer brands. For more detail, see our case studies.
Leadership at every level
We ran leadership development for mid to senior leaders across HUL South Asia. In addition, we facilitated a Standards of Leadership workshop for the top 200 leaders in Mumbai with Duke CE, and vision and mission work for two divisions.
Capability for IT, Finance, HR, R&D and sales
First, we built leadership and business partnering skills for IT, Finance, HR and R&D teams, and negotiation and analytical skills for customer marketing. Later came behavioural event interviewing for finance hiring managers, plus train-the-trainer and DISC certification for HR in Mumbai.
Teams that trust, talk and align
We ran Team Confidence Quotient (TCQ™) diagnostics and offsites for the HR leadership team and for a consumer sales cluster after a major acquisition. Alongside that, DISC-based team offsites followed for R&D and supply chain.
People policies for plant and office
We created HR policies for both the manufacturing and the management sides of the organisation in India. As a result, blue-collar and white-collar employees work to one framework.
Programmes that build teams and leaders
We ran team-building, personal effectiveness and leadership development programmes. In particular, they spanned consumer goods, toys, retail and lifestyle brands.
In addition, our partner OKR International ran a three-year, enterprise-wide OKR transformation at Colgate-Palmolive, including coaching for the CEO and senior leadership. Similarly, more than 100 Mondelez India sales leaders and 40 senior leaders in Danone's global HR team were trained on OKRs.
How our FMCG talent programmes in India run
Talent programmes for FMCG have to fit the selling calendar. Therefore every engagement follows the same four steps.
Diagnose
To begin with, team diagnostics, DISC profiles and conversations with sales, supply chain and functional leaders show where to start.
Design for your market
Then cases and practice come from your categories, channels, distributors and leadership standards.
Deliver across regions
After that, we run cohorts, offsites and programmes in your offices, plants and markets, or package them for your own trainers.
Sustain the change
Finally, team charters, review rhythms and a second measurement make sure the change outlasts the next peak season.
FMCG, consumer and retail organisations we have worked with
These include global consumer goods companies, Indian consumer brands, retailers and lifestyle businesses. In short, FMCG HR consulting is one of our deepest practices.
Client logos are trademarks of their respective owners and are shown to illustrate our experience. Accordingly, their display does not imply endorsement.
HR consulting for FMCG companies: common questions
What does HR consulting for FMCG companies cover?
In short, it covers the people work a consumer business needs. First, that means leadership development at scale and sales and commercial capability. In addition, it includes team diagnostics and offsites, HR policies for plants and offices, and building HR's own capability.
Do you offer FMCG sales leadership development?
Yes. For example, our sales leadership development in FMCG has included negotiation and analytical skills for Hindustan Unilever's customer marketing teams. It has also included a diagnostic and offsite for a consumer sales cluster.
Can you write HR policies for plants as well as offices?
Yes. For Henkel in India we created HR policies for both the manufacturing and the management sides of the organisation. As a result, the policies cover blue-collar and white-collar employees.
Do you work with retail and lifestyle brands?
Yes. We have run team-building, personal effectiveness and leadership programmes for Shoppers Stop, Triumph, Wacoal and LEGO. Likewise, we have worked with consumer goods companies such as General Mills and Unicharm.
Can you diagnose a team before running an intervention?
Yes. First, we use the Team Confidence Quotient (TCQ™) to measure trust, communication and alignment. Then we design the offsite or programme around what the data shows, and measure again afterwards.
How do we start?
To begin with, tell us about your organisation, the people challenge in front of you and the size of the group. Then we reply within one working day with a suggested first step.
Building leaders who win in the market, not just the meeting room?
First, tell us about your organisation and the people challenge in front of you. Then we will come back within one working day with how we would approach it.